Calendar timepiece



June 1, 1965 A. scHNEn-ER 3,186,159

CALENDAR TIMEPIECE Filed April 28, 1964 INVENTOR.

r`AL! SCI-4N EITEF? ATTOB N 5,5.

United States Patent O 3 claims (ci. ss-ss) The present inventionrelates to a calendar timepiece, in particular -an electric timepiece, having ya date-indicating member subject to the action of a resilient jumper.

The fitting of a calendar mechanism to an electric timepiece poses problems due to the fact that the energy contained in the cell -or battery is limited and this prohibits any excessive rate of consumption of energy.

It is therefore advisable, in the case of an electric timepiece, to provide a calendar mechanism the operation of which requires only very low energy, while nevertheless being perfectly reliable. It is an object of the present invention to provide such a mechanism.

The timepiece acc-Ording to the invention is character- `ised by the fact that it comprises, in combination, a Maltese cross member adapted to be driven intermittently by the movement, a resilient date control tinger fast with the said Maltese cross mem-ber and adapted to act, in one direction of rotation, on the date-indicating member so as to drive it and adapted to be resiliently retracted in the opposite direction of rotation, without driving the said 4indicating member, and a finger which controls the jumper and is fast with the -said Maltese cross member and which is adapted to act on the jumper to disengage it from the said date-indicating member when the date control finger comes into action, either the jumper or its control finger being resilient so that, on one direction of rotation of the said Maltese cross member, the jumper is lifted by its control finger, thus releasing the date-indicating member so that the said resilient date control finger may drive it easily, whereas in the opposite direction the said resilient element (jumper or control finger) retracts, while a supplementary pressure is exerted on the jumper, additional to -that of the jumper spring, which assists in locking the date-indicating member while the resilient date control finger jumps relatively to the said member without driving it.

The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example only, one Iform of timepiece incorporating a -calendar mechanism and constructed in accordance with the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the calendar mechanism;

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line II-II of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line IIL-III of FIG- URE 1.

Referring to the drawings, the timepiece illustrated has a date-indicating crown wheel 1 turnably mounted on the movement support-plate, which is designated by the reference 2, and yheld in place byrneans of screws 3, only one of which can be `seen in the drawing. Only a few of the dates are shown, at 4.

The crown wheel 1 has internal teeth 1a serving to dr-ive it. To this end, the timepiece includes a wheel 5 which is driven vby the movement at the rat-e of one revo lut-ion every three hours and is vfast with a control finger 6a integral with a plate 6 and co-opcrating with a member 7 in the form of a Maltese cross having eight arms 7a. The result is that this Maltese cross performs one revolution every twenty-four hours, being driven by an eighth of a revolution every three hours. The Maltese cross member 7 is fast with a plate 8 having a resilient arm 8a,

in the form of an arc of a circle, the free end 8b of which forms a control finger and act-s on the teeth 1a, so as to drive the date crown wheel when the Maltese cross is driven in its normal running direction, represented by the arrow 9 (FIGURE 1). By reason of the circular arc shape of the arm 8a the finger 8b retracts resiliently, without driving the date crown wheel, when the Maltese cross turns in the backward direction, on manual setting of the timepiece. l

The stability of the Istop positions of the date crown wheel 1 is ensured by a jumper `10 pivoted Aat 11 and subject to the action of a return spring 12, which tends to keep it in engagement with the teeth 1a. This jumper is constituted by a rocking lever having formable edge portion l10a which is cut and Ibent back and with which there co-operates a control finger 13a carried by a plate 13 `fast with the Maltese cross 7. The relative positions of the control fingers 8b and 13a is such that the jumper 10 is lifted by the finger 13a at the moment ywhen the control finger 8b acts on the teeth 1a to drive the crown wheel 1. The jumper 10 is then gradually disengaged from the teeth 1a as the crown wheel moves forward, so that the latter does not have to supply the eli-ort to lift the jumper, as is usually the case. In fact, it is to be noted that the point of contact of the con- .trol finger `13a with the part 10a of the jumper 10 is located in the immediate vicinity of the geometrical line, designated by the reference 14 in FIGURE 1, which connects the centre lof rotation of the finger 13a to the centre of oscillation of .the jumper. Thus, the operational conditions under which the jumper is lifted are very much superior to those which would obtain if the jumper were arranged to be shifted by the 4actual teeth of the wheel on which it acts. The result is a considerable economy in `the energy used. This economy is further increased by the yfact that the return spring l12 of the jumper may be much weaker than in the case of ordinary jumpers, which are arranged so that the jumper has to have an inclined plane to kenable it to be lifted by thelteeth in which it is engaged.

On account of the elements of which it is composed, the mechanism described Ialso has other advantages:

The use of a Maltese cross makes it possible to ensure ystability -of position for the member which controls the date crown wheel, when the said member is not driven, owing to the provision of the plate 6 which co-operates with lone of the arms 7a of the Maltese cross 7, in order to prevent it turning.

Moreover, the Maltese cross device permits rapid forward movement of the date Wheel, when lit is driven, without requiring a so-called instantaneous control mechamsm.

Furthermore, owing to the fact that the part 10a of the jumper 10 is resilient, it retracts when the control finger 13a turns in the backward direction, on manual setting of the timepiece, thus avoiding locking of the mechanism. However, on such manual setting, the pressure exerted by the control finger 13a on `the part 10a of the jumper 10 is added to that of the spring 12 and increases the pressure with which the jumper acts on the teeth 1a. The result is that any risk of untimely driving -of the date crown wheel by the control finger 8b turning in the backward direction is eliminated.

What I claim is:

1. In a calendar timepiece, in particular an electric timepiece, having a date-indicating member and a resilient jumper acting on the said date-indicating member, in such a timepiece, in combination, a Maltese cross member adapted to be driven intermittently, a resilient date control finger fast with .the said Maltese cross member and adapted to act, in one direction of rotation, on the said date-indicating member so as to drive it and adapted a resiliently de- 3 to be resiliently retracted 4in the opposite direction of rotation, Without driving the said indicating member, and a inger which controls the said jumper and is fast with the Said Maltese cross member, and which is adapted to act on .the jumper to disengage it from the said date-indicating member when the said date control nger comes into action, either the jumper or rits control finger being resilicnt so that, in one direction of rotation of the said Maltese cross member, the jumper is lifted by its control itinger, thus releasing the date-indicating member so that the said resilient date control inger maydrive it easily, Whereas in the opp-osite direction the said resilient element-jumper .or control ngerretracts, While `a supplementary pressure is exerted on the jumper, additional to that of the jumper spring, which assists in locking the date-indicating member while the resilient date control een 4 finger jumps relatively to the said member without driving it.

2. In a timepiece as claimed in claim 1, the fact that the control finger of the jumper is adapted to come into contact with the latter, -for the purpose of disengaging it, at a point which is located in the immediate vicinity of a line connecting the axis of rotation of the said iinger and the pivotal axis of the jumper.

3. A timepiece as claimed in claim 1, in which the said control finger yof the jumper is constituted by a rocking lever :and has a cut and bent-back edge portion which forms the said resilient portion on which the control ringer acts.

No references cited.

LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A CALENDER TIMEPIECE, IN PARTICULAR AN ELECTRIC TIMEPIECE, HAVING A DATE-INDICATING MEMBER AND A RESILIENT JUMPER ACTING ON THE SAID DATA-INDICATING MEMBER, IN SUCH A TIMEPIECE, IN COMBINATION, A MALTESE CROSS MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN INTERMITTENTLY, A RESILIENT DATA CONTROL FINGER FAST WITH THE SAID MALTESE CROSS MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO ACT, IN ONE DIRECTION OF ROTATION, ON THE SAID DATA-INDICATING MEMBER SO AS TO DRIVE IT AND ADAPTED TO BE RESILIENTLY RETRACTED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF ROTATION, WITHOUT DRIVING THE SAID INDICATING MEMBER, AND A FINGER WHICH CONTROLS THE SAID JUMPER AND IS FAST WITH THE SAID MELTESE CROSS MEMBER, AND WHICH IS ADAPTED TO ACT ON THE JUMPER TO DISENGAGE IT FROM THE SAID DATA-INDICATING MEMBER WHEN THE SAID DATA CONTROL FINGER COMES INTO ACTION, EITHER THE JUMPER OR ITS CONTROL FINGER BEING RESILIENT SO THAT, IN ONE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE SAID MALTESE CROSS MEMBER, THE JUMPER IS LIFTED BY ITS CONTROL FINGER, THUS RELEASING THE DATA-INDICATING MEMBER SO THAT THE SAID RESILIENT DATA CONTROL FINGER MAY DRIVE IT EASILY, WHEREAS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION THE SAID RESILIENT ELEMENT-JUMPER OR CONTROL FINGER- RETRACTS, WHILE A SUPPLEMENTARY PRESSURE IS EXERTED ON THE JUMPER, ADDITIONAL TO THAT OF THE JUMPER SPRING, WHICH ASSIST IN LOCKING THE DATA-INDICATING MEMBER WHILE THE RESILIENT DATA CONTROL FINGER JUMPS RELATIVELY TO THE SAID MEMBER WITHOUT DRIVING IT. 